2007 Black Infiniti G35 Coupe -- Questions

PublicEnemy

New member
Hey folks, this will be my first post.



I'm at my wits end. I recently purchased a used '07 G35 with nearly no KM on it. The car is great, however, the last owner must have been a mason since it looks like the car was washed weekly with cement and a brick.



I went to work with a claybar and removed most of the roughness, however on certain parts I believe I worked too hard and now have a grey-ish residue, like streaking after the clay. How do I remove it? Wax will cover it, but after the wax wears off it can be seen again.



Second, the swirls, oh man the swirls. After ICE Claybar, Meguiars steps 1, 2 for paint cleaning and polishing and finally NXT Tech Wax the swirls are better. Although, the first time I wash it the swirls return, horribly. I am using Mothers California Gold car wash. What can I do to rid these swirls once and for all? It doesn't help that Infiniti is known for having an extremely soft clear clear.



The only setback is I have to do this all by hand, I don't have access to a machine buffer/polisher currently.



I need help! I love my car, the shade the paint looks amazing. Deep and clear. In the sun it looks like it's covered in cobwebs. HELP!
 
Hire a detailier and then just maintain it. The reason the swirls are coming back is because they are just filled in and you are washing away the filling.
 
Darkstar752 said:
Hire a detailier and then just maintain it. The reason the swirls are coming back is because they are just filled in and you are washing away the filling.
Good advice, but if you want to keep it swril free you need a machine. Search for proper washing and drying. This is were most of your marring comes from.
 
PublicEnemy said:
Thanks for the quick responses.



I think it's time I left this one up to the professionals.



Unless a pro is going to wash your car, you still need to learn proper washing and drying techniques. Black is not a color, it's a part time job.
 
Legacy99 said:
Black is not a color, it's a part time job.



Seriously! The only people who should consider owning a black vehicle are those willing to put forth the time and effort it takes to maintain a swirl free finish. Otherwise, black paint looks horrible in the sun.



I've been detailing full time 15 years ago and my last car was black. I will not make that mistake again.



Infiniti black paint can be a real PITA to polish out, so if you hire someone, look for a detailer that has experience with black Infiniti paint.
 
I think for the most part I'm pretty good at washing/drying. I always use 3 buckets, one for soap (and I do NOT mean dish washing soap), soaking, and wheels.



Have 3 sep microfiber washing mitts, always wash from the top down never in the sun, never on a hot car.



The swirls that I speak of were present before I purchased the car.



And I could not agree more about "black is not a colour, it's a part time job"



My girlfriend always gives me **** about how much time I spend caring for my car. I always reply with, "come talk to me when you own a black car".
 
Scottwax said:
Seriously! The only people who should consider owning a black vehicle are those willing to put forth the time and effort it takes to maintain a swirl free finish. Otherwise, black paint looks horrible in the sun.



I've been detailing full time 15 years ago and my last car was black. I will not make that mistake again.



Infiniti black paint can be a real PITA to polish out, so if you hire someone, look for a detailer that has experience with black Infiniti paint.

I agree Scott, but doesn't the 08 and 09's have the sticky paint issue (self healing)?
 
Scottwax said:
Seriously! The only people who should consider owning a black vehicle are those willing to put forth the time and effort it takes to maintain a swirl free finish. Otherwise, black paint looks horrible in the sun.



I've been detailing full time 15 years ago and my last car was black. I will not make that mistake again.



Infiniti black paint can be a real PITA to polish out, so if you hire someone, look for a detailer that has experience with black Infiniti paint.



No doubt, had I known how soft Infiniti paint was I would have gone with a different colour. It seems to be one of the biggest complaints I hear in regards to car detailing threads on the G35 forum I'm a member of. Somebody farts near your car, you have a new swirl.
 
Legacy99 said:
I agree Scott, but doesn't the 08 and 09's have the sticky paint issue (self healing)?



The only Infiniti I know for sure has the self healing paint is the EX and I've heard the '09 GTR's too but I'm not positive on that.



If the car has swirls, odds are it isn't the self healing paint. I've seen a couple black EX35s and the paint looked nearly flawless.
 
Scottwax said:
The only Infiniti I know for sure has the self healing paint is the EX and I've heard the '09 GTR's too but I'm not positive on that.



If the car has swirls, odds are it isn't the self healing paint. I've seen a couple black EX35s and the paint looked nearly flawless.
I do know that all the 09 G's have the Scratch Shield Paint including the EX and FX. It seems that the QX and M's don't have it.
 
Legacy99 said:
Unless a pro is going to wash your car, you still need to learn proper washing and drying techniques. Black is not a color, it's a part time job.



It's more like a full time job! :werd::LOLOL
 
Well it appears you have the wash part down. Either get a pc or flex or get a pro to detail it for you. Since you take care of your car a 2 step exterior only job should do. Spend a couple hundred dollars every six to 8 months and up keep it yourself. No matter how careful you are with your paint, you will get marring on black paint. If you enjoy taking care of your car, get a polisher and DIY. It can be very rewarding and a great hobby.
 
if the clear is anything like my black 03 g35, it'll scratch just by looking at it. I hate black. I especially hate infiniti black.
 
efnfast said:
if the clear is anything like my black 03 g35, it'll scratch just by looking at it. I hate black. I especially hate infiniti black.



I know, its absolutely awful.



I think I'm gonna drop a couple hundred and have it professionally taken care of, and then just maintain it myself.



I really do enjoy washing/polishing/waxing my car, but I hate spending my entire day doing so to only have the results last for a single wash.
 
PublicEnemy said:
I know, its absolutely awful.



I think I'm gonna drop a couple hundred and have it professionally taken care of, and then just maintain it myself.



I really do enjoy washing/polishing/waxing my car, but I hate spending my entire day doing so to only have the results last for a single wash.



As was said, if the result only lasts for 1 wash, it's one of 2 things



- your washing technique and/or tools are inadequate (I got a real kick in the balls this year - polioshed my g35, looked awesome, washed it, and found out my microfiber wash mitt was somehow dirty (didn't look it) and it swirled it to high hell (failed the cd scratch test big time))



- you previously only filled in the swirls, so the product is waering away and you're seeing what it was hiding.



It's funny because in the case of (1) above, I could use the same wash mitt on a harder clear (e.g., corvette) and do no damage....unfortunately, infiniti clear is so fricken soft your materials better pass the CD test, or else you'll be kicking yourself in the balls bigtime.
 
you don't 'seal in fillers'.



Step 1



- Take a cd and rub ALL the utilities you use when washing and drying (mitts, towels, etc...) on the shiney side. if you see ANY scratches, that is what is causing your problems. Use proper wash/drying media



Step 2 (assuming step 1 passes)

Use proper polishing agents - stuff that does not have fillers and silicone and whatnot in it. For example, popular standard ones are Meguiar's product (80,83, 105, 205 come to mind) and Menzerna (SIP, 106)
 
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